California Passes Bill for Mandatory Data-Sharing Opt-Out Option in Browsers
Published
- California bill: Proposed legislation mandates that all internet browsers offer opt-out options for sharing users’ data.
- Privacy legislation: It aims to protect user privacy while navigating the internet, as many browsers today do not offer an opt-out.
- Pending law: As soon as the bill gets the required signature, it will become law.
The California legislature has passed a significant piece of data privacy legislation that mandates web browsers to incorporate a feature allowing consumers to opt out of third-party data sharing. The bill, AB-566, now awaits Governor Gavin Newsom's signature to become law.
Bill Provisions and Consumer Impact
This California data-sharing opt-out bill strengthens consumer rights established under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). While the CCPA grants consumers the right to send opt-out preference signals, the necessary functionality has not been uniformly implemented by major web browser developers.
“It is far too difficult for most people to use their existing privacy rights,” policy analyst for Consumer Reports Matt Schwartz said in a statement celebrating the passage of the bill.
Screenshot of the California bill | Source: Legiscan
If signed into law, the bill will compel browser companies to provide a clear setting that, once enabled, sends a universal opt-out request to every website a user visits. This automates the process, removing the burden on individuals to manually configure privacy settings on a site-by-site basis.
Implications for Browser Privacy and Next Steps
The legislation aims to make exercising privacy rights more accessible for the average user. Consumer advocacy groups, such as Consumer Reports, have praised the bill as a crucial step in simplifying the use of existing privacy rights.
The bill's passage puts pressure on tech companies to build more robust and user-friendly web browser privacy settings. An earlier version of the bill, which also included mobile operating systems, was vetoed.
The focus of the current bill is solely on web browsers. All eyes are now on Governor Newsom to see if he will sign this version into law, potentially setting a new standard for data privacy control across the nation.
In April, TechNadu reported on Perplexity AI’s new browser user data collection for advertising purposes, which sparked privacy concerns.
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